DIETARY POLYUNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS AND COMPOSITION OF HUMAN AORTIC PLAQUES

How long-term dietary intake of essential fatty acids affects the fatty-acid content of aortic plaques is not clear. We compared the fatty-acid composition of aortic plaques with that of post-mortem serum and adipose tissue, in which essential fatty-acid content reflects dietary intake. Positive associations were found between serum and plaque omega 6 (r=0.75) and omega 3 (r=0.93) polyunsaturated fatty acids, and monounsaturates (r=0.70), and also between adipose tissue and plaque omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (r=0.89). No associations were found with saturated fatty acids. These findings imply a direct influence of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids on aortic plaque formation and suggest that current trends favouring increased intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids should be reconsidered.